UP Coalition to focus on gambling addiction

The Unified Prevention! (UP!) Coalition, an initiative of the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico, is a collective partnership effort focused on reducing substance use and abuse among youth and young adults of Doña Ana County. The UP! Coalition consists of community members representing 12 sectors across Doña Ana County that are committed to reducing addiction and minimizing access to various harmful substances.

Addiction comes in a number of forms. Today, addiction includes anything from video games and social media to alcohol and drugs. One addiction that is occasionally overlooked is gambling. Why is it important to take a closer look at this? There is an abundance of national data, as well as independent studies, that verify a strong relationship between youth participation in risky behaviors, such as drug and alcohol abuse, and problem gambling activities. In an effort to address this issue, Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino has partnered with the UP! Coalition.

In February, the UP! Coalition received notification that Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino would be providing a grant focused on gambling education. This grant will allow the Coalition to hire a prevention program associate who will work alongside the UP! Coalition program manager and assist in the implementation of youth gambling educational programing as well as adult problem gambling harm reduction and education.

The New Mexico Council on Problem Gambling (NMCPG), a nonprofit organization that provides training, certification, and payment for all counselors that are New Mexico certified to treat problem gamblers and their families, will also be involved in the venture.

“Bringing together NMCPG’s expertise, counselors and trainings with UP’s outreach into the school systems is a powerful match,” said Kandace Blanchard, NMCPG executive director. “Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino brought us together for which we are grateful, giving NMCPG a voice and influence.”

Since the Coalition received notification of the grant, it has also established a partnership with the city of Las Cruces Parks & Recreation Department and will be introducing the soon-to-be developed gambling education program as part of its After-School and Summer Recreation Programs, which provide direct programming for approximately 315 children in kindergarten through fifth-grade from nine local elementary schools: Alameda, Hermosa Heights, Cesar Chavez, Fairacres, Highland, Mesilla Park, Valley View, Sunrise and Monte Vista.

Marcel Nicolitz, coordinator for the After-School and Summer Recreation Programs, believes this kind of education is necessary and is hopeful for positive outcomes. “I applaud the proactive mission and foresight that Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino is showing, and that they recognize the potential for abuse of gaming and its relationship to future generations,” she said.

Recently, additional information has become available reinforcing the view of the early development of gambling problems, most often in conjunction with other potentially problematic behaviors, such as smoking, drinking and drug use. This evidence parallels the vision of the UP! Coalition: for all youth in Doña Ana County to have the opportunity to live a life free from addiction. National data also suggest that addiction issues have the best outcomes when addressing environmental factors using inclusive educational methods.

In the coming months, as the UP! Coalition begins developing and implementing curricula in conjunction with the NMCPG, existing resources will be incorporated into the programming. For example, Facing the Odds: The Mathematics of Gambling and Other Risks, a middle-school curriculum on probability, statistics and mathematics, will be closely reviewed and considered for partial inclusion. This curriculum was developed by the Division on Addictions at Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling with support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. It was designed to enhance critical thinking, number sense and knowledge of mathematics of gambling to help young people develop responsible and rational views about gambling and make informed decisions when confronted with gambling opportunities.

Another consideration for potential curriculum inclusion is material from “Stacked Deck.” This is a program, endorsed and utilized by The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, a national provider of addiction treatment services, includes a set of interactive lessons that teach about the history of gambling; the true odds and "house edge"; gambling fallacies; signs, risk factors, and causes of problem gambling; and skills for good decision making and problem solving. An overriding theme of the program is to approach life as a "smart gambler" by determining the odds and weighing the pros versus cons of your actions.

Regardless of the curricula that will be utilized, the UP! Coalition is looking forward to developing and implementing this gambling component because it provides yet another opportunity to make a meaningful impact in Doña Ana County. The Coalition is grateful for the numerous partners, like Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino, NMCPG, and the City of Las Cruces Parks & Recreation Department, that are committed to ensuring area youth and young adults are armed with the knowledge they need to make smart decisions when it comes to alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and gambling.

Individuals interested in joining the UP! Coalition or serving as a volunteer are encouraged to contact Marisol Diaz, UP! Coalition program manager, at 575-521-4794 or via email at marisol@cfsnm.org.